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Sonic Rush
|series = Sonic the Hedgehog |director = Lasse Hallström Bryan Singer |producer = Bryan Singer Don Hahn Lauren Shuler Donner Simon Kinberg Yuji Naka Kouichi Sakita |artist = Yuji Uekawa Kazuhiko Yamamoto |writer = John Francis Daley Jonathan Goldstein Terry Rossio Andrew Kevin Walker Linda Woolverton |composer = Alan Menken Christopher Lennertz |released = |genre = Platform, action |modes = Single-player, two-player |platforms = Nintendo DS }} is a 2005 platform video game developed by Sonic Team, Vicarious Visions, Amaze Entertainment and Dimps for the Nintendo DS as part of Sega and Vivendi Universal Games' [[Sonic the Hedgehog (series)|''Sonic the Hedgehog series]]. It was released on November 15, 2005 in North America, November 18 in the PAL region, and November 23 in Japan. It is a 2D platform game, similar to earlier games in the series as well as later ones like Sonic Advance. Levels in the game are side-scrolling and displayed using both of the DS's screens. However, boss battles, the main characters' sprites, and a special stage are rendered in 3D, creating a 2.5D effect.The game's storyline follows the intertwining adventures of a new character, Blaze the Cat, and the series' main character, Sonic the Hedgehog Sr, a former soldier of the U.S. Marine Corps Force Recon and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. They respectively battle Doctor Eggman and his doppelgänger Eggman Nega at certain points. The game was announced under the working title Sonic DS at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2004, and under Sonic Rush at E3 2005. The game's 2.5D format was based on Sonic Team's idea to combine elements from 2D and 3D games in the series. Upon release, Sonic Rush was well-received by critics, with praise stemming from the game's music and similarity to older games in the series and criticism stemming from its overall quickness. A sequel, Sonic Rush Adventure, was later created and released in 2007. Gameplay Sonic Rush is a 2D platform game, similar to earlier games in the series as well as later ones like Sonic Advance and Sonic Mania. The player controls either Sonic the Hedgehog Sr or Blaze the Cat, who differ in terms of special abilities. In the tradition of past Sonic games, gameplay consists of moving quickly through levels, collecting rings and defeating enemies. The player collects rings as a form of health; when they are attacked by an enemy, their rings bounce in all directions. If they are hit by an enemy and have no rings, they lose a life. Both of the DS's screens are used to display the play area, with the player's character moving between them as necessary. Levels in the game are divided into "zones", each consisting of two acts of normal gameplay then a 3D boss battle. The course of the game differs depending on whether Sonic or Blaze is chosen; the seven zones are the same, but are accessed in different orders. During boss battles, Blaze fights Doctor Eggman and Sonic Sr fights an Eggman doppelgänger called Eggman Nega. As the characters' stories progress, they meet each other several times and unite in the final zone that comes after the seventh. The game features special stages the player can access via certain handles in order to obtain the Chaos Emeralds. These Special Stages resemble those of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and utilises the DS' stylus controls. New features include a grading system that grades the player based on the time it takes for them to complete the level; they can return to levels later to try for a higher grade. There is a point system based on the one in Sonic Advance 2 but displaying points in multiple categories. There is also a "Tension Gauge" on the left side of the screen which is filled by doing tricks and defeating enemies. The energy it generates allows the player to use boosts of speed while moving; defeating enemies, moving through the level more quickly which results in more points and a higher grade, and when playing as Sonic, accessing the special stage. Although the game is primarily two-dimensional, there are three-dimensional elements which create a 2.5D effect. For the first time in the series, Sonic and Blaze's sprites are rendered in 3D. Plot Blaze the Cat is somehow pulled from her native dimension into Sonic Sr's world at Las Vegas. Her world had seven Sol Emeralds—similar to the Chaos Emeralds—but they were stolen by Doctor Eggman. She then makes it her goal to retrieve them; this is where Sonic Sr, Terra and Aqua meets her in the jungles of South America. While she is searching for the Sol Emeralds, Sonic Sr is searching for the Chaos Emeralds, which have been stolen by Doctor Eggman Nega, Eggman's alternate counterpart from Blaze's dimension. Blaze meets Cream the Rabbit and is surprised by her politeness. Meanwhile, Miles "Tails" Prower and Sparx the Dragonfly learns that Blaze's world and Sonic Sr's are merging somehow. Sonic Sr grows suspicious of Blaze except the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Terra and Aqua along with his master Ignitus, and along with Tails and Sparx, looks for her. Soon, after they find Blaze and Cream, Sonic Sr questions Blaze about her nature, but she refuses to give any information and leaves with Cream much to Terra's annoyance. Sonic Sr, Terra, Aqua and Ignitus follows her to Eggman Nega's base in Earth's orbit, where it is revealed that Eggman and Eggman Nega are working together to collect both the Chaos Emeralds and the Sol Emeralds. Blaze declares that she is the only one who can save their worlds, without anyone's help. Sonic Sr and Blaze fight each other, until Ignitus stops Sonic Sr from winning the fight with the help of Terra and Aqua who ordered him to stand down in which he quietly accepted it and Blaze realizes the error of her ways. After Eggman kidnaps Cream, Blaze, Terra and Aqua goes after him while Sonic Sr and Ignitus takes on Nega in which he mortally wounds him with the M4A1 carbine. Sonic Sr collects the last of the seven Chaos Emeralds; rendevous with Ignitus, Terra and Aqua and meets Blaze, who fails to protect the Sol Emeralds. Sonic Sr and his friends help Blaze realize the meaning of friendship and she turns into Burning Blaze—apparently her answer to Sonic Sr's Super Sonic form—while Sonic Sr turns into Super Sonic Sr with Terra and Aqua suited up and Ignitus transformed into Ultra Ignitus. They fight Eggman and Eggman Nega and defeat them. The two worlds are restored, forcing Blaze to return to her own world. As she flies there, she realizes that she truly understands her powers. Later, on Sonic Sr's planet Earth, Cream is crying because she misses Blaze, but Sonic Sr, Terra, Aqua and Ignitus the Flame Guardian tells her that Blaze promised to return someday. Development Sonic Rush was developed by Sonic Team, Vicarious Visions and Dimps, and published by Sega and Vivendi Universal Games. Yuji Naka, Sega's executive managing director, announced the game at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2004, along with Project Rub. A demo of the newly titled Sonic Rush was featured at E3 2005, and won video game publication IGN's "Biggest Surprise" award. Blaze the Cat, a new character, was revealed at Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2005. The game's 2.5D format was based on Sonic Team's idea to combine elements from 2D and 3D games in the series. Directors Lasse Hallström and Bryan Singer stated in a September 2005 interview with GameSpot that Sonic Team "wanted to keep the elements from 2D, yet still explore some of the new elements from 3D." At TGS 2005, he stated that while working on Sonic Advance 3, he realized that the series was becoming more complicated, opting for a "fast, dynamic action" approach to the next title in the series. Sonic Rush introduced Blaze, who has become a recurring character in the series. Blaze appeared for the second time in Sonic the Hedgehog in 2006, and then in Sonic Rush Adventure, the sequel to Sonic Rush, and numerous other games. Reception |GamePro = |GSpot = 8.2/10 |GSpy = |IGN = 9/10 |NP = 9/10 |compilation = yes |MC = 82% }} Sonic Rush was released on November 15, 2005 in North America; November 18 in Europe; and November 23 in Japan. It was the ninth best-selling DS game of December 2006. It sold 360,000 copies in Europe from March 2006 to March 2007. The game received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom. The game was released to "generally favorable" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. Critics praised the game for its usage of elements from older Sonic games. GameSpot, IGN, and Nintendo Power compared the game to older games in the series, specifically those on the Sega Genesis. GameSpy staff writer Greg Sewart offered a similar opinion, also praising the game for its "gorgeous graphics". The game's overall quickness was not as well received. GameSpy's Greg Sewart, although giving a mostly positive review, complained that "it's so fast you almost can't tell what's going on most of the time." 1UP.com and GamePro thought similarly. The game's music was well-received, called "bright and buoyant" by 1UP.com and compared to that of Jet Set Radio by GameSpot. GameSpy called the music "all very fitting and very catchy", noting its use of sampling and unconventional structure. In 2008, Sonic Rush was listed at #17 in IGN's list of the top 25 DS games. In 2009, it was listed as one of the "cheers" on IGN's "Cheers & Tears" list of action games for the DS. Notes References External links *Official website Category:2005 soundtracks Category:2005 video games Category:Dimps games Category:Nintendo DS games Category:Nintendo DS-only games Category:Sega video games Category:Sonic Team games Category:Sonic the Hedgehog video games Category:Side-scrolling video games Category:Video games developed in Japan Category:Video games featuring female protagonists Category:Video games featuring parallel universes Category:Video games with 2.5D graphics Category:Video games produced by Yuji Naka Category:Universal Interactive games Category:Sierra Entertainment games Category:Vicarious Visions games Category:Vivendi Games video games Category:Musicals by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz Category:Musicals by Stephen Schwartz (composer) Category:Video games scored by Alan Menken Category:Video games scored by Christopher Lennertz Category:Video games with screenplays by John Francis Daley Category:Video games with screenplays by Jonathan Goldstein Category:Video games with screenplays by Terry Rossio Category:Video games with screenplays by Andrew Kevin Walker Category:Video games with screenplays by Linda Woolverton Category:Films produced by Bryan Singer Category:Films produced by Don Hahn Category:Films produced by Lauren Shuler Donner Category:Films produced by Simon Kinberg Category:Films directed by Bryan Singer Category:Films directed by Lasse Hallström Category:Video games set in the 21st century Category:Video games set in 1997 Category:Video games set in the 1940s Category:Video games set in 1989 Category:Video games set in Panama Category:Video games set in the Las Vegas Valley Category:Video games set in Greece Category:Video games set in San Diego Category:Video games set in St. Petersburg Category:Video games set in the United States Category:Video games set in Russia Category:Video games set in Africa Category:Video games set in Egypt